It was too icy to get on the boat safely this morning with Alt Ed. I taught a hypothermia/frostbite class instead with the understanding that although not everyone in that class will be a seaman, all of us live in the State of Maine. Winters here are every bit as harsh as you read about.
The class sat in rapt attention for all of an hour, listening ardently, asking intelligent questions, bring relevant life experience into the conversation. Their attention was drawn by the fact that they were preparing to save lives, their own or someone else’s, some day. This is 100% relevant to their life experience and so it is important to them here and now.
There are so many things to know in this world it boggles the mind. Can we not somehow find ways to teach things that are genuinely relevant to our students while making them aware of pathways of learning that they can access later, when they are ready? I don’t know. Grist for the mill.
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